MONROVIA – The Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) has officially launched the operational phase of its Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Solid Waste Management Framework, unveiling 30 Liberian-owned Community-Based Enterprises (CBEs) and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) selected to pilot a new waste collection system aimed at transforming sanitation across the capital.
By Francis G. Boayue
Speaking Monday, July13 during the announcement of the Phase I listings, Monrovia Mayor John-Charuk Siafa, described the initiative as an unprecedented milestone in Liberia’s waste management sector, saying it marks the first time municipalities, private waste management companies and community-based enterprises have collectively implemented a nationally driven sanitation reform without direct donor support.
“We are beginning to operationalize a partnership that will fundamentally change how waste is managed in Monrovia,” Mayor Siafa said.
“We are not claiming to have all the answers, but we have chosen progress over perfection. This is a bold step toward building a sustainable waste management system.”
The Mayor noted that the initiative follows the signing of a PPP agreement between the MCC, the Liberia Solid Waste Management Association (LISWA) and the National Association of Community-Based Enterprises (NACOBE), witnessed by the National WASH Commission and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
He said the partnership is supported by new municipal regulations approved by the Monrovia City Council to encourage greater private-sector participation in sanitation services.
According to Mayor Siafa, the reform is designed to replace an unsustainable waste collection system with one that is structured, accountable, financially viable and community-driven.
“This is the beginning of the end of Monrovia’s waste management challenges,” he said, while appealing to residents, community leaders, businesses and institutions to support the initiative.
Reading the official list of successful applicants, Monrovia City Manager James Williams announced the deployment of selected SMEs and CBEs across operational zones in Districts 7, 8, 9 and 16.
The SMEs selected include: District 7: Echo Green Environmental Solution, Ocean, and Waste Solution, District 8: Mastercraft Waste Collection, TK Group of Companies, Dunpie Euro, Hazard, and Tower Sanitation & Alternative Energy, and District 9: Phoenix Waste Management, T-Waste Recycling and Fumigation, and Sheriff Development Corporation.
The selected CBEs include United Group of CBEs, Eco Vision, Greenland, Ocean, Tewa, Green Wall, Truly Blessed, People Waste Pest Control, TK, What Men Do Women Can Do, Environment and Alternative Sanitation Incorporated, Environment and Alternative Sanitation Enterprise, Vision Care, Clean Air Sanitation Incorporated, SJ Sanitary Services, Matadi Sanitation, Suare Domba, Toll Sanitation Incorporated, and Ementus Waste Management and Housekeeping.
Williams said the selected companies will begin operations following contractual arrangements and deployment by the MCC.
The MCC said Phase One covers 12 operational zones and requires every household, business, school, market, restaurant, clinic, office and commercial establishment within the pilot communities to subscribe to their assigned waste collection operator.
According to MCC, subscription fees will finance waste collection equipment, fuel, personnel, and routine service delivery, making the system financially sustainable.
MCC emphasized that the initiative is not another temporary cleanup campaign but the beginning of comprehensive sanitation reforms that will improve waste collection, transportation, recycling, processing and final disposal.
The city also announced plans to establish Liberia’s first modern circular economy, where waste will increasingly become an economic resource through recycling, composting, plastics recovery and waste-processing investments.
MCC said it is already monitoring a pilot waste-processing facility while exploring additional technologies to support sustainable waste recovery and environmental protection.
The initiative, officials said, is expected to create thousands of green jobs, attract private investment, reduce pollution and improve public health.
The City reported significant progress in ongoing sanitation operations, including the complete removal of long-standing waste deposits along Center Street.
Cleanup activities are currently underway on Gurley Street, while more than 75 young Liberians have been deployed to rehabilitate the historic Palm Grove Cemetery by removing waste, clearing overgrown vegetation, restoring walkways and preparing the site for redevelopment.
The MCC said work will soon begin to fence the cemetery as part of the Palm Grove Cemetery Transformation Project.
Officials also disclosed that approximately 75 percent of accumulated waste has been removed from the Fiamah Waste Transfer Station, with cleanup operations expected to move next to the Stockton Creek Transfer Station.
Additionally, the City said discussions are ongoing with the Liberia Marketing Association (LMA) to establish a sustainable waste management system at the Waterside commercial district through mandatory sanitation contributions from marketers.
Speaking on behalf of the Liberia Solid Waste Management Association (LISWA), Interim President Samuel T. Duoe described the announcement as the next major step following the signing of the PPP framework.
Duoe said the selected companies would now proceed to contract negotiations before undertaking community enumeration and deployment, which is expected to commence on August 1, 2026.
The pilot phase, he explained, will run for three months to generate baseline data that will guide future expansion and refinement of the framework.
“We are trying something innovative to address Liberia’s waste management challenges,” Duoe said. “This is about transforming waste from an environmental burden into an economic resource.”
He noted that 19 community-based enterprises and 12 SMEs were selected through an assessment process and urged both successful and unsuccessful applicants to remain committed to strengthening Liberia’s sanitation sector.
Duoe added that the initiative seeks to professionalize waste management, expand opportunities for Liberian-owned businesses, and lay the foundation for a circular economy capable of creating jobs and generating wealth.
“If this model succeeds in Monrovia, it can be replicated across Liberia and become a national model for sustainable urban sanitation,” he said.
Mayor Siafa concluded by urging every resident to support the reform through responsible waste disposal, subscription to approved waste collection services, and participation in the city’s mandatory first Saturday cleanup exercise.
“Government cannot do this alone,” he said. “Every citizen must become a watchdog. Together, we are moving from emergency cleanups to permanent solutions and laying the foundation for a cleaner, greener and more prosperous Monrovia.”
